Demonstrating machine



Aug. 9 1927.

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Patented Aug. 9, 1927.

UNETE STATES} PATENT FQFFICE.

PRESTON W. MOWRY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORTO THE NU-IDEA COM-PANY, INQ, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

nnmonsrna'rrne MACHINE.

Application filed February 27, 1926. Serial No. 91,276.

In the merchandising of many articles of general use, it is customary toprovide wine dow or counter displays and human demonstrators, fordemonstrating the advantages and uses of such articles. My inventioncontemplates a mechanical demonstration of such conventional articles asare usually displayed and sold by window or counterdisplay with humandemonstrators.

For the purpose of this application, I shall show and discuss myinvention as a demonstrating machine adapted for window or counterdisplay in the merchandising of a safety razor blade stropper. It is tobe understood, however, that such treatment is purely illustrative, andin no way limiting, and'that I reserve the right to use the principlesof my invention in connection with the demonstration of other suitablearticles commonly sold by window or counter display.

In the specific embodiment of my invention selected as illustrative ofthe principles involved, I provide for mechanically reproducing themovement of the human hand in stropping a razor blade. According to myinvention, a razor blade stropper, such for example as that shown in mypending application for Patent Serial No. 86,180 filed February 5, 1926,is mechanically and automatically moved along a stationary strop and isautomatically rocked at each end of its stropping stroke so as tosimulate the movement of the human hand in stropping a razor. Thedriving mechanism for accomplishing this result is at once simple,reliable, and entirely automatic, so that the apparatus may be placed inthe window and left with the certainty that the machine will functionfor so long a time as may be desired.

The construction and operation of my demonstrating apparatus, togetherwith a form of machine which I have found satisfactory in use and welladapted to the requirements of manufacture, is described and illustratedin the accompanying specification and drawings, and the characteristicfeatures of novelty are particularly pointed out in the appended claims.Throughout the specification and drawings, like reference characters arecorrespondingly emplo ed, and in. the drawings. Figs. 1-, 2, 3 and 4;are front, side, end

and plan Views, respectirely, of a machine in accordance with myinvention, theside, end and top walls of the casing being omitted inFigs. 2, 3 and l, respectively, to show tie operating parts enclosedtherein, and

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views, particularly illustrating the rockingaction of the stropper at each end of its stroke.

I have indicated at 1 a casing enclosing the operating parts of themachine, with the exception of the moving hand H and the moving razorblade stropper "R associated with said hand and the vertically disposedstationary strop S along which the stropper and hand are moved. Theadjacent side wall of the casing is vertically slotted, as indicated at2,F 8, to permit the rock shaft 3, 'on whichthe hand and stropper' aremounted, to be reciprocated vertically along the strop S by theoperating mechanism enclosed in said casing.

The strop is anchored at its lower end to the floor of the casing, andat its upper end is fastened to a hook a projecting from the casing, theconnection of the strop at its lower end to the base being a springconnection, as indicated'at 5, so that the strop is under tension andmay yield as the 'stropper R is moved there over. To carry out theeitect sought, the strop may have fastened to it at its lower end asecond hand H. 5

Rising from the floor of the casing is a frame indicated generally at 6and presenting a vertically disposed guideway C011SlSE= in of a air ofsaaced uide rods 7 for the 2: P l e oii'set slide block 8 which carriesthe stronper It and handH, which is fast to the rock shaft 3, as appearsin Fig. 4.

The stropper 1s reciprocated vertically by means of an electric motor M(Fig. 4) and suitable operating connections gfromfsaid motor to theslide block8. Such connections comprise afriction disc 9 fast on ahorizontally disposed shaft 10 which is journaled through a gear box 11set on the base of the casting The friction disc 9 is driven from arubber pulley 12 on the motor shaft and through a reducing gear train 13drivesa crank shaft 14lalso journaled through the gear box 11. The crankof the crank shaft is connected by pitman 15 to a rocker lever 16 whichis fulcrumed between its ends at 17 on the frame '6 and at its forwardend is counterweighted as at 16 and at its rear end is forked asindicated at 18 to straddle a roller 19 carried by the slide block 8.

hese connections cause the stropper R to move vertically along the stropS in simulation of the human act of stropping a razor, but in order tofurther carry out the effect, I provide for rocking the stropper ateither extreme of its stropping stroke, as is true of the human act ofstropping a razor. This may be conveniently effected by mounting uponone of the guide rods 7 adjacent either end thereof a pair of stops 20and 21, which stops define the limit of the stropping stroke in eitherdirection. Mounted on the slide block 8 is a pair of spaced pins 22 and23 which define the arc of rocking movement of the stropper. Fast on therock shaft 3 for the stronper i a rocker arm 2% which is under springtension as indicated at 25. l he purpose of the spring 25 is to hold therocker arm 24E against one or the other of the pins 22 and 23 as thecase may be until the slide block 8 reaches the limit of its stroke ineither direction at which time the rocker arm will contact one or theother of the stops 20 or 21. (See Fig. Such contact will swing the arm 21 from the pin against which it has been bearing (as the pin 22 in Fig.6) to the other pin (23 in Fig. 6) as shown in dotted lines in saidfigure, rocking the stropper R relative to the strop, as indicated infull and dotted lines in Fig. 5. This operation is continuous and thestropper is constantly movedback and forth over the strop and isautomatically rocked at the limit of its stroke in either direction insimulation of the human act of stropping a blade.

The electric motor may be driven from any suitable current source andthe gear box 11 which houses the reducing train may be filled with asuitable lubricant so as to in sure proper lubrication.

Various modifications in the construction and operation of my device mayobviously be resorted to without departing from the spirit of myinvention if within the limits of the appended claims.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In demonstrating apparatus, a relative ly stationary strop, a razorblade holder spaced aaart sufficiently from said strop so as not tocontact therewith, and means for automatically reciprocating said holderalternately in opposite directions longitudinally along said strop andfor rocking it relative to said strop at either extreme of itsreciprocating movement in simulation of the manual act of stropping arazor.

2. In demonstrating apparatus, a relatively stationary verticallydisposed strop, a relatively movable horizontally disposed razor bladeholder spaced apart sufficiently from said strop so as not to contacttherewith, a hand grasping said holder and moving therewith, and meansfor automatically reciprocating said holder and hand alternately inopposite directions longitudinally along said strop and for rocking saidholder and hand relative to said strop at either 6X- treme of theirreciprocating movement in simulation of the manual act of stropping arazor.

3. In demonstrating apparatus, a relative ly stationary strop, a mountfor a razor blade holder, a blade holder carried by said mount andspaced apart sufficiently lfIOII'. said strop so as not to contacttherewith, a guideway for said mount, and a motor and operativeconnections therefrom to said mount for reciprocating said holderalternately in opposite directions longitudinally alon said strop.

a. in demonstrating apparatus, a relatively stationary strop, a slidingand rocking mount for a blade holder, a blade holder carried by saidmount and spaced apart sufficiently from said strop so as not to contacttherewith, a guideway for said mount, a motor and operative connectionstherefrom to said mount for reciprocating said holder alternately inopposite directions longitudinally along said strop, a pair of spacedstops, associated with said guideway adjacent either end thereof, andmeans for automatically rocking said holder relative to said strop ateither extreme of its reciproeating movement.

5. In demonstrating apparatus, a relatively stationary strop, a slidingand rock ing mount for a razor blade holder, a blade holder carried bysaid mount and spaced apart sufficiently from said strop so as not tocontact therewith, a guideway for said mount, a motor and operativeconnections therefrom to said mount for reciprocating said holderalternately in opposite directions longitudinally along said strop apair of spaced stops associated with said guideway adjacent either endthereof and defining the limit of reciprocation of the holder in eitherdirection, a pair of spaced stops carried by said mount and defining thelimit of rock ing movement of said holder, and a contact memberassociated with said mount and normally engaged with one or the other ofsaid second-named pair of stops and alternately engageable with one orthe other of said first-named pair of stops to rock said blade holderrelative to said strop upon reversal Qil of the direction ofreciprocation of said said slide block, a motor and operativeconnections therefrom to said slide block for reciprocating said holderalternately in opposite directions longitudinally along said strop apair of spaced stops associated With said guideway adjacent eitherend'thereof, and defining the limit of reciprocation of the holder ineither direction, a pair of spaced stops carried by said slide block and10 defining the limit of rocking movement of {first-named stop pairwhereby to rock said blade holder relative to the strop, and a springnormally tending to hold said rocker arm against one or the other of sadsecondnamed stop pair according to the direction ofmovement of theholder over the strop.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

PRESTON WV. MOWRY.

